In addition to weighing career options after graduation and searching for potential job matches, F-1 international students also have to make another important decision: either go back to their home country, or stay and work here in the US. F-1 international student visas expire after completing your studies and earning your degree, so if international students do decide to stay and work in the US, the deadline of their legal stay puts additional pressure in making career decisions.

Hello everyone! My name is Fatu Badiane Markey and I am very excited about blogging for iJOBS at Rutgers University. Before we get into the more serious articles, let me tell you a little bit about myself. As an undergraduate, I majored in Biology with a concentration in Neural and Behavioral studies at Bryn Mawr College. At that time, I was interested in pursuing a career in medicine. My goal at that point was to become a neurologist, or neurosurgeon. I took pre-med classes as part of my course work and even prepared to take the MCAT.

Some of us groan when we realize our presentation date for our academic program’s research seminar has rolled around. We all wish we could postpone it until that one amazing experiment is completed, until we at least have some positive data, or just until the reviewers get back to us about our recently submitted manuscript. Please, please, please? In today’s research world, where everyone is a critic, don’t we all cringe at the idea of going up in front of people and presenting an incomplete project?

“Those who invest in both their work and relationships will reap the greatest number of opportunities”. -Peter Fiske.

Research in the governmental setting is often an overlooked avenue to job seekers.  So many times we see that old (but fading) ‘industry vs.

My name is Sarah Misenko and I am a 4^th year PhD candidate in the Biochemistry department at Rutgers University. My broad research interest lies in precision medicine for the oncology field. Ultimately, I hope to work as a project manager in the pharmaceutical industry or as a clinical trial manager.

Social media has become a huge part, in one way or another, of our lives. I’d hazard a guess that it is here to stay. Incredibly, beneath the layer of selfies and meal snapshots, social media has developed into a network that allows you to share news about current events, conduct polls, and communicate with your connections at ease. It has also opened up a channel through which people can find career opportunities. And yes, even we, the isolated academics, can take advantage of social media to find some new doors and maybe even crack one open.

[caption id="attachment_367" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Image Credit: Hal Mayforth[/caption]

Here’s a list of a few of the things that I said I wanted to be ‘when I grow up’: an astronaut, a doctor, a lawyer, a dolphin trainer, or a marine biologist.  As it turns out, I’m none of these things, and I’m not meant to be any of these things.